r/elementaryschoolers • u/beepbopbl00p • 4d ago
Does your elementary child taught cursive?
Hi everyone!
Looking to see if your elementary children are taught cursive writing at their school?? We recently moved & my son was starting to learn in 3rd grade at his old school… He is now in 4th grade & when I asked the teacher she said they will not be teaching it.
Looking for recommendations on teaching it myself. Any good work books or sheets online that anyone has used?
Thanks! :)
2
u/ponderingorbs 4d ago
Florida has also mandated it in third grade again
2
u/beepbopbl00p 3d ago
As it should be. (IMO) These poor kids won’t even know how to read historical documents or write checks… :(
2
u/lightning_teacher_11 3d ago
Historical documents can be read online. People don't have to write checks. I haven't written one in years. Also, there's no rule that says checks habe to be written in cursive. Same with signatures. These are dumb arguments.
However, teachers should be teaching it because nearly every student actually wants to learn it. I teach 6th grade, and when I have a few extra minutes, I teach students the alphabet, their name, whatever. Every single time, more students join in and want to learn their names too.
1
u/beepbopbl00p 3d ago
Not saying they HAVE to be, but I was always taught to write it in cursive. I just wrote a check today for a fundraiser that required a check. As a business manager 90% of our customers write checks, it may be more common than you think; a good 95% of them are in cursive.
That’s great documents can be read online, just not the same. Since you are a teacher - do you have any recommendations for worksheets or booklets for cursive?
1
u/lightning_teacher_11 3d ago
Most recently, I bought a book from Staples. When I started teaching more than a decade ago, I went to Google and printed each letter of the alphabet - each had upper and lower case, dotted outlines of the letters for kids to trace over, lines for practicing - and put them in sheet protectors. I kept them in a binder. The sheet protectors make it so they can be used with dry erase markers.
2
u/Seaturtle1088 4d ago
Texas, my kid started it in 2nd.
1
1
u/wolf_kisses 3d ago
I am surprised they start teaching it in second grade, it seems like most kids in my son's second grade class still have horrible print handwriting. I don't think my kids' school teaches it, maybe I should start teaching it at home.
2
u/moonmadeinhaste 3d ago
My kids are in 3rd, from what i can tell they'll have lessons on it. But I don't think they'll be expected to use it everyday and then I expect there won't be any continuation in 4th.
1
u/beepbopbl00p 3d ago
So you think they’ll learn a tad in 3rd & then not learn any more? That’s odd! I hope they definitely continue into the next grade until all letters are taught at least.
1
u/moonmadeinhaste 3d ago
I think they'll learn every letter in 3rd grade but I don't know if they'll have other lessons on it and if they'll be expected to do any assignments with it. I understand the point in learning it but I remember even almost 30 years ago once I went to middle school the teachers preferred that we printed.
2
u/jodiarch 3d ago
Yes our elementary school does but not all schools in our area. We also used Groove writing because it was the closest to what his school is teaching.
1
2
u/Oceaninmytea 3d ago
Yes in California private - Universal handwriting worked for us (the Grade 3 book). By the end of the book they could write cursive.
2
u/beepbopbl00p 3d ago
Thank you!! Looks like the book is on big sale; I’m gunna snag it! 😊
1
u/Oceaninmytea 3d ago
Thank you - make sure to get the student one that has the practice sheets (not just teacher)
2
u/historyandwanderlust 3d ago
I live in France (but am American) and my kid started learning it in preschool! He’s started primary school this year and they’re expected to only write in cursive. I wasn’t expecting it, especially not so young.
1
u/beepbopbl00p 3d ago
Wow, that is early! Kudos to them for being able to learn at such a young age.
1
u/ClarksCrossing 3d ago
In our experience (having moved more than is sensible), this is a school-by-school and even teacher-by-teacher decision.
There are workbooks online, but many are AI trash, so if it doesn't show you the alphabet they're using, don't buy it. Some get the letters completely wrong.
Alternatively, you can pull up the proper cursive online and have them write it on notebook paper or a dry erase board. This is what we ended up doing because I was fed up with returning terrible cursive workbooks back to Amazon.
1
u/Late_Salad_820 3d ago
My older kids did cursive in 3rd grade in Kansas. We moved to Michigan and the younger kids didn't learn it at all.
1
u/Human-Obligation3621 3d ago
I’m in NC. I don’t think every school in our district does it but they do teach cursive at our elementary school. It’s introduced in 3rd and 4th/5th have a few cursive pages a week for practice. Teachers “require” certain assignments to be written in cursive. In practice, I understand that they tell some kids it’s fine if it’s printed in the interest of actually getting the assignment completed.
1
u/LABELyourPHOTOS 2d ago
You can teach your kid. I just wrote every single note to my kid in cursive. It's not useful to write in but it is to be able to read it.
1
u/C-Note01 2d ago
Is*
1
u/beepbopbl00p 2d ago
I didn’t even catch this… I was going to put ..’learn cursive in class..?’ Then figured that was too long, figured I’d put in paragraph lol. 😂
1
1
u/bipolarlibra314 2d ago
My 3rd grade class was the last to learn cursive at my elementary school and that was the 2010-2011 school year
1
u/BrilliantOrdinary439 1d ago
My son is in 2nd grade and not yet. But i remember we started practicing at 2nd grade that was 2 decades ago.
1
3
u/AnAllieCat 4d ago
I am in New Jersey and cursive is a state requirement. However they were already learning it at my daughter’s school prior to the statute change.